LifetimeLoser

preach on girl! instant gratification...yeah I have issues with that and I am highly impatient. You are doing great!!!

yes. actually a lot of photos people post of their before and afters...I usually think they look much older in their afters. Of course, they are older!!! I think it just comes with the territory you know? We have fat in our faces that fill them out and make us have less wrinkles. As we get skinnier, it unfills showing our wrinkles and probably sagging a little. Saggy skin will also come with those of us who have a lot of weight to lose which causes the aging look. I wouldn't worry about something you can't control. Just know that even if you do look a little aged...your body will feel 20 years younger with the weight off.

I just wanted to post about my experience last week. We decided to take my 2 year old daughter to the water park that is near my house. I have never been there because I have been extremely overweight for the past 4 years of my life. I always worried about climbing and things falling out and just being totally uncomfortable. Over the past 5 months I have lost 80 pounds and boy has it made a difference. I don't think it is just the weight loss, but my strength training as well. I lift weights 4x a week at a bare minimum and I really think that it has made a world of difference. I had it planned in my head that I could only make it for 3 hours because I would be tired and I ended up staying there for 6 hours!!! I had no problem with stairs, slides, swimming, climbing, and I even carried this massive tube up the mountain! All of this really hit me when I went down the lazy river. I hopped up on the tube and laid down in it and put my daughter on my belly. I didn't even give it a second thought...I just did it. As we started flowing down the river, I noticed this very large man behind me trying to climb in the tube like I did. Well, he tried over and over and over again. He didn't make it and eventually tried to stick his body in the donut hole part of the tube, but his body was too large. It made me sad that he was struggling. He eventually gave up and just walked the tube and himself down the river until the end. It was at that point that I realized that would have been me struggling, probably feeling embarrassed. I was very appreciative of my progress. I am very proud of my 80 pound loss! I even more proud of myself that I go to the gym 6 days a week and can do 90 minutes of straight intense cardio. I used to think to myself, "why is everyone losing faster? Why are those people who don't exercise losing faster than me? or those who are older or weigh less than me losing faster?" Now, I am truly at peace with my pace of loss. The scale does not reflect the muscle I have built. The scale does not show how much strength I have gained. The scale does not measure my progress. The scale is an instrument affected by so many factors! It is affected by the slant of the floor, my sodium intake, my time of month, inflammation, water intake, water loss, female hormones. I think it is funny that I depend on an instrument that is so unreliable.

i think the key is to keep it dry

I live this every day. I've always been very aware of my surroundings. My husband is about 50 pounds over weight. He also promised he would change his lifestyle after I got surgery. I am 5 months post op and he has just recently started doing cardio a few times a week. I watch him everyday in disgust as he stuffs his face. I absolutely hate going out to eat because I get so frustrated with the money I have to spend on getting something when I only eat like a fourth of it and with the choices that I am usually presented. When we go out to eat I sit there and watch him shovel the food in his mouth. I feel like a hypocrite because I used to shovel food into my mouth too!!! He doesn't even chew. I have only recently started saying small things...basically the things I've learned from my psychologist like smaller bites, chewing my food 30 times, putting my fork down. I've seen him try to slow down, but he has admitted there is no way he is going to chew his food 30 times. I am constantly disgusted by myself, knowing that I used to be like all these people around me. I notice everyone around me and how they eat. I don't purposefully try to look at them, but when you have to sit there and eat super slow and chew your food and wait its hard not to look around because you have nothing else to do. I am usually done eating before everyone else so even more so I am looking around at other people. It is really sad that society eats this way. We are rushed by everything...time, children, jobs, agendas...no wonder we just rush through eating. I can't really blame my husband because I used to be like that. I just hope that he puts more effort into eating slower and practice mindful eating. It is not healthy! He only eats once or twice a day and it bugs me. I understand how you feel.

you are doing wonderful! you should be proud of 20 pounds in a month. I only lost 19!!! As far as the sugar goes, I had a cookie yesterday and immediately felt sick. I've felt sick before, but never from sugar...I think its the combination of sugar and fat??? I've found that I don't like to eat bread. I am also starting to notice myself shying away from dense protein and going more for things like tuna or soft fish. I just don't like the discomfort I feel when it goes through my chest. I am 5 months out and still have trouble eating every two hours...and by the time I eat...I am famished. I really hope I can kick this habit!!! Well, I eat to fast sometimes when I am hungry and those dense things just feel so yucky in my chest...one of them being bread. I used to try bread every once in awhile when it looked good, but I don't even try anymore because I know how it feels. I know what you mean about people noticing something different, but can't put their finger on it. Post pictures woman! So I know what you look like.

I think the more weight I lose the more I am comfortable with looking in the mirror. At my heaviest, I barely even glanced at mirrors, avoided cameras, and just wasn't comfortable at looking at myself. I think part of the problem is we actually look at ourselves more when we are thinner and the longer we look...the more we notice the little things that aren't perfect.

Awesome

It will go away. This is common with dark nationalities. In the polynesian culture you see it a lot with Samoan, Hawaiians, etc. I don't have that, but I have it around my neck.

skinny minnie!!!

sex just gets better and better...the more weight comes off! I think you are fine though. My dr. said I was approved for any activity as long as it didn't cause pain!

Eminem's Til I collapse...I listen to all the time...especially when at the gym and I need to push a little bit harder. And he is a sexy mother...here are the lyrics that resonate with me...there are more lyrics, but those pertain to his rapping career... Cause sometimes you just feel tired, Feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength And just pull that **** out of you and get that motivation to not give up And not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse. Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out Till my legs give out, can’t shut my mouth. Till the smoke clears out - am I high? Perhaps. I'ma rip this **** till my bone collapse. Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out Till my legs give out, can’t shut my mouth. Till the smoke clears out - am I high? Perhaps. I'ma rip this **** till my bone collapse.

you will get used to it. just hang in there.

i think everyone is different. Just try some new things. In my head sometimes I want certain things, but remembering how it felt in my chest makes me refrain.

looking like a cutie pa tutie

If you are doing weight training, then you want to have a Protein and a carb together. Some ideas are Protein shake with a banana in it or any kind of fruit for that matter. Also, make sure you get enough calories the day before you have intense training to sustain this new activity. I suffered this problem as well and have pretty much fixed it. I drink a protein shake about an hour before I workout, then I have my usp labs watermelon bcaa before, during and after my workout. It is also recommended to have a milk based protein shake after weight training to facilitate muscle recovery. I sometimes do this if I can manage to get it down. I went from 600 calories all the way up to about 1000 when I started working out intensely...not because I was hungry, but because I was getting fatigued and light headed...no bueno! I haven't had a problem since upping my food intake.

You can actually gain weight when increasing your workouts because there is more blood plasma flowing...or this is what I was told. If I take a break and then start working out again intensely I gain about 3 pounds which comes off within the next few days. Don't get disheartened (I know its easy to do when those not working as hard lose more weight quicker because I saw the same things). I got real frustrated, but you know 4 months later and down almost 75 pounds feels good. It feels so slow when it is one or two pounds there, but time goes by quickly. It will come off!!! Just hang in there and keep doing all the right things.

do some lunges. works on balance and strength and you can do them anywhere.

you are super adorable! congrats on being near the end of your weight loss journey and now into maintenance. I know what you mean by having 2 shirts to choose from and one pair of pants. I've been like that for like 4 years...every once in awhile replacing one when it gets holes. I can't wait to have a nice wardrobe of all ONE SIZE AND NOT MANY DIFFERENT SIZES.

People often define support as being told that what they did or did not do, ate or did not eat, is "okay". I am not of this group of people. I believe being truly supportive is giving the best information for someone to obtain his or her goals. Sometimes this is not what someone wants to here and takes it the wrong way. I do not believe in telling someone that what they did (that we all know was wrong) is okay...they wouldn't be upset or seeking support if what they did was right. Sometimes its better to not say anything at all...and let his or her weight loss speak for the method or diet or whatever they are choosing to follow or not to follow.

thanks for sharing! I will look all this stuff up. What are your stats???

never would I. and it isn't long term. wow. just wow.

I think it depends on your age, genetics, how many times you've lost weight before, and basically where you carry your fat. I have lost weight quite a few times, carry much of my fat in my arms, am 32, and I have lost 74 pounds with another 100 pounds to go. I know I will have excess skin in certain areas no matter what. It does tighten a little, but it won't completely. Plastics are in my future.

I would say between 40 and 60 pounds depending on your muscle mass, genetics, etc.